The Animal Party

As the sun rose on a beautiful Autumn day, the animals began to wake to the cock-a-doodle-do's of the big red rooster who had woken them every day for the last ten years. The farmer had brought him home from a farm down the road, about the same time he had gotten the pigs, the sheep, and the goats. The farmer and his wife had only had this farm for a year, and decided they were ready to make it an animal farm and not just one to grow hay. A farm need more noises, smells and LIFE, the farmer had told his wife. And she had agreed. So he had gone to the other farms around and made friends with his neighbors. And asked if they had any animals they were willing to part with. The rooster had been his very first addition to the animal farm. He got the sheep next. She was a black sheep and was the most gentle creature he had ever owned. He took both of them home to create their habitats. He built a coop and knew he would add some hens for eggs and, of course, company for the rooster. Maybe they would even have chicks in the future. That made the farmer smile. Then he took the sheep into the barn and gave her the biggest stall, full of hay for comfort and food and a trough of water. She was so happy and at home that she laid down and went to sleep. The next morning the rooster woke her with a........ cock-a-doodle-do! She called out to the rooster "5 more minutes , please. I was having such a good dream!" He said, "Start your dream 5 minutes earlier tonight, because I always wake with the sunrise and you will too". They became quick friends.

The farmer left out again after breakfast. When he came back he didn't have any new animals, but he had gotten supplies and built a little house with a fence around it and then made a huge mud puddle and built a fence around it. He added a food trough and a water trough in each and went and had lunch. After lunch he hooked the little trailer to the truck and left again. When he came back there was so much noise coming from the trailer that the rooster was afraid of what might be in there. The farmer opened one side and brought out another black sheep and put him in with the first one. "HI", said the first sheep, "My name is Scarlett. What is yours?" He was very shy and had never talked to a girl before. He had also never seen another black sheep. He had thought he was the only one. "My name is Gilbert", he shyly said. "I sure am glad to see someone who looks like me." Scarlett sat Gilbert down and began telling him stories and they became very good friends.

Next out of the trailer came two goats and they were put in the fence with the house. They began jumping all around, climbed up of the roof of the little house and having a great time. They had been friends since birth at the farm they came from. They were excited to have their own place away from that huge farm.

Lastly, the 3 little pigs came squealing out of the trailer and into their mud puddle. They were SO happy! The farmer and his wife had dinner and then they came out and gave everyone their dinner and fresh water. They stood together arm in arm and decided their farm needed a horse, a milking cow and some hens. So they went to bed and dreamed of what a perfect farm they wanted.

The next morning after breakfast, the farmer left in the truck with the trailer attached and his wife went out to visit with and feed the animals they had already gotten. First the rooster, she told him that he would have friends with him by nightfall. The rooster looked at her and scratched around like he was cleaning the place up for his new friends. And he was. Then the sheep, she told them that the barn wouldn't be quite and quiet tonight. They would have 2 roommates in the barn, but they would each have their own stall, so they wouldn't be too crowded. The sheep baaed as if they knew what she was saying to them and would be happy for the company. She left the barn and went to the goats pen with some cut up veggies and told them that she loved how the farm was shaping up and that they would be one big happy family. They hopped around all over like they were very happy to hear that. "How odd" she thought, "All of these animals seem to know exactly what I'm saying to them. Could that be true?" Lastly, she went to the 3 little pigs and poured the bucket of slop into their trough. "Could all of you animals real understand me?" she asked. They squealed, wagging their little curly tails and rolled around in the mud. Then they ran over to her and she was sure they were smiling at her! "I am losing my marbles", she thought. "I will never tell my husband. He would NEVER believe it!"

That day when the farmer came home, he ran in and got his wife. He had a surprise for her! First he brought out a beautiful black horse and put her in a stall in the barn. He had bought a black saddle and blanket too. "One of will need to ride her to give her exercise as often as possible" he told her. Then a black and white cow. "This is called a Holstein." he stated. "She will give us plenty of milk and is with calf that should be born soon." He put her in a larger stall in the barn. "AND NOW....." he said with grandeur. And out walked an alpaca! He was a beautiful white color and seemed very majestic. "Oh My, he is BEAUTIFUL!", his wife exclaimed. "I knew there was one extra stall in the barn. When I saw him, I knew you would love him too!" the farmer said. His wife hugged and kissed him. "I DO LOVE HIM!! Our farm is ALMOST complete." The farmer said, "NO, it IS complete!" and he opened the trailer wide and had a chicken wire cage with 6 hens of various colors. "YES, they are perfect!" his wife squealed. She helped him get them and put them into the coop. The rooster was so happy he couldn't stop crowing and he strutted his stuff in front of his new companions. They didn't seem too impressed, at the moment. But they all warmed up to him in time.

That night, when the farmer and his wife went to bed, the horse opened his stall door and quietly let the other animals out of their stalls. They all went to the goats pen and introduced themselves to each other. Then they moved on to the pigs and then the rooster and his hens. Once they all quietly got to know each other, they said their good nights. Everyone slept content an d happy to be a family that night.

The next morning, it was the farmer who came out to feed them all. The rooster had already woken everyone and they were very happy to see the farmer. They all made their noises as he came to them. "Are they trying to talk to me?" He thought. "surely, I must be imagining it. That would be crazy, right?" He got on his tractor and cut the grass in his field and raked it up for feeding his family of animals. In the next few days he turned the field under and planted clover to feed the field to grow a good crop of hay next Spring for them. As he and his wife looked over the farm and family they had now, they were joyous. "Let's have a party, Tom!" "I LOVE that idea, Sarah!" "But we have to include the animals!" they said at the same time! And laughed....

The next day was spent cleaning stalls and the yard to get ready for their big party the following day. All of the animals loved their clean surroundings, but had no idea what was going on. They milled around and talked excitedly, they could feel the excitement coming from their new mom & dad. That is what all them had started calling them the second night they were there and had their nightly conversations. The farm was buzzing in joyous excitement all day!

The next morning, Tom & Sarah shared the task of feeding and watering the family, so they could relax the rest of the day before their party. Tom said, "Doesn't it seem like they talk to us and they are excited today too?" Sarah said, "I thought I was completely crazy when I thought the same thing! I guess they feel like our family too." She screamed so that all the family could hear, "Party tonight! Get some rest!" They both laughed as every animal laid down to take a nap. :-)

Just before sunset, Sarah & Tom began bringing out snacks, drinks and surprises for each animal. There were sunglasses for the alpaca, headbands made out of daisies for the others, and hair chalk to give them all a feeling of originality and fun. The sheep and goats ate their daisies right away. :-) The pigs wanted to stay pretty for a while longer. The alpaca loved his sunglasses and wore them until he went to bed at midnight. Sarah also gave him a comb for his hair. It got stuck, but she carefully cut it out after their picture was taken for their dear friend, Sheryl Ann Miller, to paint a picture for the house. Then Tom & Sarah began to put the chalk and glitter on Scarlett, Fred (the alpaca) and only one goat would let them try it. The pigs don't have hair and two of them had eaten their headbands by that time, so only one was there for the picture. They had such a great time and bonded like no other family! And they lived happily ever after!